Outlander Spices
We are a small, privately held
company that provides exotic spices and gourmet foods to restaurants throughout
the United States. We have twenty kiosks within gourmet grocery stores in the
West Coast, and we are planning to launch a Web initiative so that consumers
can buy our products over the Internet. We also plan to expand our kiosk
operations into stores on the East and the
In the following report, you will find an overview of the project team members, a justification for the project, the details of our progress in this initiative, and a summary of the outstanding issues we still need to resolve.
The project
team
The Expansion Project group is currently made up of six employees and four outside employees. This mix of internal and external people provides a balance of viewpoints and expertise that is necessary for the success of a project of this scope. The names, positions and responsibilities of the six employees assigned to this project are listed below.
Ann Salinski, VP Financial Services
Ann’s role is to oversee the financials for this project. She acts as the gatekeeper for all expenditures and has the final say on any cost overruns for the project. Ann is one of the founders of Outlander Spices, and she performs this financial management role in addition to her other duties at the company.
Jack Thomas, VP Sales
Jack’s role is to ensure that the sites we choose for expansion will maximize sales and profits while minimizing the need to hire additional sales staff. Jack also works with Aileen in Marketing to ensure that we have a successful sales rollout.
Elise Sechan, Manager, Information Technologies
Aileen MacElvoy, Director of Marketing
Aileen’s role is to oversee market research and the creation of any collateral required by the Sales force. She will also oversee all marketing communications with customers and vendors, as well as act as the project spokesperson for the press and other interested parties.
Ron Timmons, Senior Buyer
Ron’s role is to ensure that the spices and teas we sell are appropriate for the markets we are entering. He will analyze the market research reports to determine which spices and teas are in high demand in each of the regions into which we plan to expand. Ron also will monitor the data on Web purchases and buying trends in the new markets. In addition, he will work with our vendors to ensure that the supply of teas and spices supports the increased sales we expect from this initiative.
Kim Leong, Customer Service Representative
Kim’s role is to oversee customer service support to new and current customers. He will monitor the demands on our current system and work with Elise to specify upgrades to our telephone system. Kim also will play an integral role in determining the requirements of the online ordering system, and he will oversee the creation of a training initiative and documentation for the new system.